PTHS reflects while looking ahead at 2014

As the calendar approaches the end of another year, many businesses and organizations are taking stock of where things currently stand.

Pontiac Township High School Superintendent Jon Kilgore believes this has been a successful year. The superintendent recently discussed the year’s hot topics including reaching the freshman class, preparation for the upcoming 82nd Pontiac Holiday Tournament, future improvements to the building, implementation of the Common Core Standards and the success of students.

“We’re at about the halfway point for our fiscal year,” Kilgore said. “Overall, we’ve had a very good year. We’ve seen a number of successes for our students in our extra curricular programs, sports and classes. Teachers have provided our students with opportunities to serve the community and from a financial standpoint, we were able to present a balanced budget.”

Much like any home, PTHS has had its share of maintenance and improvement. Over the summer, the auditorium was sanded down, re-finished and re-painted. Last December, the heating and cooling system, which was approved in 2011, was finished just in time for the Holiday Tournament. Most recently, Kilgore said the Pontiac Township High School pool at the Community Recreation Center has been in need of some parts that need to be replaced due to its use.

“The pool is a very expensive maintenance, “ said Kilgore. “However we also recently added stall doors to our public restrooms. In particular, the boys’ restroom stalls did not doors, but we’ve invested in adding those to give students more privacy. We will also have some facility repairs that take place over break.”

Kilgore likened the maintenance needs at the high school to the needs of any homeowner with the difference being that instead of a family, the high school is in charge of the well being of more than 1,000 people.

“It’s 50 years old and as a result we have some things in the building we need to take care of. Also similar to a homeowner, we have costs with our vehicles — the busses and driver’s education cars. Those will be taken care of this year too.”

One new practice this year is Principal Eric Bohm’s implementation of celebrating the successes of students with schoolwide assemblies at the end of the day. Kilgore said not only were sports teams like this year’s statebound golf team acknowledged, but assemblies were also held for the Pontiac FFA program, which received top honors at the National FFA convention this year.

“We’re doing a new celebration called a clap out when a single individual has attained high honors,” Kilgore said. “Everyone comes out and stands on the sides of the hallway and the honored student walks through the building being cheered on by their peers and teachers for a few minutes.”

Page 2 of 2 - On Dec. 26, the holiday tournament is scheduled to begin. Kilgore said staff and administration are looking forward to hosting the event. He acknowledged the enormity of the event saying Jim Drengwitz, the tournament director, does a great job of keeping the event organized.

“Everyone does a terrific job,” Kilgore said. “We look forward to having the teams and the community in for that. We even have people from Canada who come to this tournament and it provides a chance for us to show off not only the high school, but also the town of Pontiac.”

Kilgore also addressed the discussion Principal Eric Bohm led with the PTHS Board of Education members regarding the freshman class. He said the presentation was meant to show board members the high school recognizes that when students struggle as freshmen, they will have issues leading to graduation as well.

“The purpose was to show the board not only what options we currently have in place to help students achieve, but also options we are interested in, which haven’t been implemented yet,” Kilgore said. “When freshmen struggle, we have to figure out what can be done to address those weaknesses so that they can be successful.”

Kilgore also addressed the upcoming Common Core Standards. Simply put, Kilgore said the common core is meant to raise the bar in education by focusing on the best practices which can be used to engage students in real-world learning.

“In education, we want to challenge our students by providing a rigorous curriculum. That’s what the common core does,” the Superintendent said. “The problem many have with these new standards is more on the political side than an issue with the actual curriculum. I challenge people to look at actual the common core standards and explain what is wrong with them. We think there are some really challenging things to come out of this.”

There are many things to look forward to in the second half of the year. Kilgore said a new semester provides new opportunities for students to shine not only in the classroom, but also in their community and extra curricular activities. He also said there is some facility planning to be continued in the second half of the fiscal year in regards to the Facility Sales Tax practices.

“Next year will be the first full year that we receive those funds on a monthly basis and we have a lot of facility needs and repairs that need to be done around the building. One of the more notable repairs this summer will be the roof at the Livingston Area Career Center. We are seeking a $250,000 energy efficiency grant to repair the roof and improve the energy efficiency.”